Dan Schneider Denies 'Sexualizing' Child Stars, Colleague Says He Was a 'F--king A--hole'

Dan Schneider, creator of iconic kids shows like 'The Amanda Show,' 'Drake & Josh,' 'Zoey 101,' 'iCarly,' 'Victorious' and more, denies sexualizing his young stars like Ariana Grande, Jennette McCurdy, and Jamie Lynn Spears.

Dan Schneider has been chasing allegations of awkward and possibly inappropriate behavior on the sets of his various Nickelodeon shows for a while now, but the release of ID's docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is shining a light bright enough that Schneider responded.

The new series takes a peek inside some of his shows, including All That, Kenan & Kel, iCarly, Zoey 101, Victorious, Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, and more. These shows brought joy to a generation of fans, but the series is showing how painful it was for some of those involved.

In response to the first part of the two-part docuseries premiering Sunday night (the second half premieres tonight), a representative for Schneider told Variety, "Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network."

"If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are 'sexualizing,'" the statement continued, "they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents."

"Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts," the representative said. "A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes."

"In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals," the statement continued. "Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny."

"Unfortunately, some adults project their adult minds onto kids' shows, drawing false conclusions about them," the representative's statement concluded.

While Schneider vehemently denied any "sexualizing" intent behind anything he filmed for his myriad series, the prolific creator did acknowledge and express regret after allegations that he asked continuously for neck massages from crew members.

"Dan deeply regrets asking anyone for neck massages," said his team. "Though they happened in public settings, he knows this was highly inappropriate and would never happen again."

A network spokesperson for Nickelodeon also responded to the outlet with comment.

"Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct," it read.

"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children," the statement continued, "and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."

The network echoed the intense scrutiny on every set, every scene, every joke, from executives and parents to Nickelodeon's talent management department.

"Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved by executives at Nickelodeon," said former president of content and production, Russell Hicks.

A former co-executive producer and writer on Kenan & Kel and All That, Amy Berg, did defend Schneider on any allegations of "physically inappropriate behavior." A lot of these allegations have stemmed from fan compilations on social media speculating on shooting choices made, like an emphasis on his young actress' feet, as an example.

My only comment re: Quiet on Set. pic.twitter.com/VhTt6w1JYB

— Amy Berg (@bergopolis) March 18, 2024

While she had her former colleague's back on suggestions of physically inappropriate behavior -- at least during the time she worked with him -- Berg did not hold back in other areas, calling Schneider "a f--king a--hole" and "psychological tormenter" who stole her 20s from her.

"He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia," Beg wrote to her X/Twitter as part of a lengthy response to the new docuseries.

She said she worked with Schneider as his assistant for less than a year -- her "VERY first job in town." She said that she had to have surgery to correct her arrhythmia, and that impacted her personal life and has given her an anxiety disorder when "faced with other manipulators."

Quiet on the Set isn't the first source of criticism about Schneider, either. In fact, the creators of the docuseries said they were inspired to make their film after Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, where she says she felt "exploited" by a man she only referred to as "The Creator," and a Business Insider report by Kate Taylor, as well as the aforementioned compilation clips, per Forbes.

Some of the shared clips, other than those some have seen as fetishizing feet, have included Ariana Grande pouring water on herself and squeezing a potato, and Jamie Lynn Spears getting squirted in the face with a viscous substance.

After two investigations by Viacom/CBS in 2018 found no evidence of sexual misconduct, but did find support for allegations of verbal abuse on set, Schneider and Nickelodeon parted ways.

"The fact is many of the kids on these shows are put in the untenable position of becoming the breadwinner for their family and the pressure that comes along with that," Schneider's spokesperson told People in a separate statement.

"Dan has said himself that he was a tough boss to work for and if he could do things over again he would act differently," the spokesperson added. "But let's be clear: When Dan departed Nickelodeon a full investigation was done and again, all that was found is that he was a challenging, tough and demanding person to work for and with, nothing else."

Since separating from Nickelodeon, Schneider said he's had time to focus on himself, losing more than 100 pounds, and has been working on a new pilot for a different network that's for "more of an adult audience."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.